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Welcome to August, which is NOT too soon for ... EARLY FRAME FOR HILLARY CAMPAIGN -- “Pro-Clinton group details talking points,” by Maggie Haberman: “The pro-Hillary Clinton group Correct the Record has put together a memo for supporters and allies ahead of the fall midterms, highlighting seven key themes they’ve identified as emerging from the frenzy surrounding the potential 2016 candidate’s book tour. … 1) ‘public opinion is much better for Clinton now than it was in 2008’; 2) ‘Americans across the ideological spectrum, liberals and moderates in particular, are looking positively to a Hillary Clinton run for President’; 3) ‘Voters, specifically Democrats, are eager for her experience’; 4) ‘Clinton is in step with her party on core issues, particularly income inequality’;

“5) ‘No credible challenger can amass the kind of broad party support Clinton has’; “6) ‘Voters are behind her, not just politicos’; 7) ‘Hillary Clinton’s work ethic has been on display for months. Clinton and her supporters, if she chooses to run, do not want a coronation but rather will work hard, seek voters’ support and build a winning coalition.’ … Correct the Record was established as an offshoot of the Democratic research group American Bridge, but it was stocked with Clintonites and has worked to defend her as she’s become more politically public.” http://politi.co/1sbww0p

--STAT DU JOUR -- "It’s Been 2,401 Days Since Hillary Clinton Visited Iowa," by ABC's Jonathan Karl: "Hillary Clinton has not stepped foot in Iowa since she came in third in the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 4, 2008 ... And it appears Mrs. Clinton hasn't made a public appearance in New Hampshire since she won the 2008 New Hampshire primary -- 2,397 days ago." http://abcn.ws/1oVfJxA

EXCLUSIVE : Fran Person -- Vice President Joe Biden’s personal aide for the past eight years, starting in the Senate office, then campaigning across all 99 counties in Iowa, and finally landing in the White House – will leave the administration Friday to move back home to start Monday as a high-level adviser at alma mater, the University of South Carolina, in Columbia. As a body guy who became a confidant, Person anticipated Biden’s moods and questions, served as team captain and gatekeeper on the road, and showed the ropes to visitors and new staffers.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said: “Fran’s strongest quality and greatest diplomatic skill was in gently persuading the Vice President it was time to end the meeting!”

Person – “Franny,” to the V.P. and most others in his orbit -- traveled with vice president to 47 states (Biden hasn’t been to Maine, Mississippi or North Dakota as vice president), and has been to 49 of the 50 countries Biden has visited as V.P. -- including Kenya, Mongolia and Serbia. Person missed a trip to Cyprus when his second daughter, Zoe, was born. “When he’s not on a trip, you hear the laments: ‘Where the hell is Franny?’” Biden recalled in a phone interview during a brief vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Del.

A lesson for young people interested in politics: Person was launched on his amazing journey when he came to see Biden speak at South Carolina. Person – who double-majored in political science and international studies, and minored in business administration – came up to chat with Biden afterwards. The vice president recalled that Person and the teammates who were with him “looked like Mount Rushmore.” Then, Person turned up at later reception. “He said he would like to work for me,” Biden said. “Now, people know that he has my ear whenever he wants it. … On the road, he’s in every single meeting.”

Person, 31, was an offensive guard for the Gamecocks and is an imposing 6 foot 6, 235 pounds (down from 300 pounds in his senior year). Ron Klain, Biden’s former chief of staff, said: “I used to joke that Fran was a human ‘fish story,’ because all the folks on staff who knew him would always tell those who didn't that Fran had been a football player in college, but was much, much larger then. Each time the story got told, his college weight was five pounds larger than the time before. It was nearing 400 pounds in the final telling.”

Person and his wife of seven years, Krystal, are moving to Fort Mill, S.C., with their 3-year-old, Bella, and Zoe, now eight weeks. At South Carolina, Person will work as an adviser to both President Harry Pastides and Athletic Director Ray Tanner in an advisory role. Today will be the official handoff to Person’s, Michael Schrum, former deputy director of the Labor Department’s Office of Public Engagement.

“OPEN MIKE” double-header videos with Dr. Raj Shah, age 41, administrator of USAID (U.S. Agency for International Development), who’ll be in the spotlight next week during the White House’s U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. About 40 heads of state are converging on Washington this weekend for the largest-ever gathering of African leaders on American soil. Dr. Shah, who has both an M.D. and graduate business training, has brought corporate best practices to government, including a focus on metrics and “corporate priorities.”

Shah, a father of three and one of the longest serving top Obama officials, has emphasized partnering with the private sector and building bridges to Republicans. An alumnus of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Raj cuts through the usual government gobbledygook and approval process and personally writes an Annual Letter, inspired by the Gates Annual Letter.

MIKE ALLEN: “You almost think of this as a $22 billion company.”

DR. SHAH: “Our mission is to work to end extreme poverty and to build resilient, democratic societies. … [T]he old model of development was, if people need something, you provide it. So, they need food, you give them American-grown and -shipped food. There is still a critical role for that basic humanitarian service that we provide. But we've also said: If we're really going to transform these economies and create opportunity for hundreds of millions of people who live on a dollar a day or below that, we need to engage private companies and reshape what's possible. …

“[E]very one of our staff has a card like this [‘Our Mission’], and we worked very hard with business leaders from around the country to recraft our mission and to be clear about our approach and to be able to communicate and design our programs in a manner we can measure and report on results. And that's really the only way we can both end extreme poverty and demonstrate to the world that we're actually doing it.”

“OOPS” CLICK: 4-page PDF of draft administration talking points -- “Topline Messages (as proposed by State)” – on the still-secret Senate report criticizing past CIA interrogation techniques. “[T]he White House accidentally emailed [the PDF] to an Associated Press reporter,” per AP Intelligence Writer Ken Dilanian. “[T]he State Department said the talking points were the work of one person, should not have been sent to the White House and don't represent the views of the department. … The … document … reveals … State Department … concerns about how the CIA's tactics will be portrayed around the world.” http://apne.ws/1u6hCYT

RICK PERRY OP-ED in POLITICO Magazine today: “ There’s no doubt that America’s reaction to the Israeli-Gaza conflict is being watched and gauged by nations like Iran, and our failure to stand firmly beside our ally will only embolden the Islamic Republic to continue its criminal efforts to develop and build a nuclear device.”

IMPEACHMENT WEEK – 1-col. lead of N.Y. Times, 40 years ago today: “CONGRESS CHIEFS CONFER ON RULES FOR IMPEACHMENT … PRECEDENT IS LACKING,” by Richard D. Lyons: “WASHINGTON, July 31 – Congressional leaders met in closed session today to plan the next moves in both houses that eventually could remove President Nixon from office.” Also on p. 1: “Ehrlichman Is Sentenced To 20 Months to 5 Years,” by Linda Charlton … “Nixon Studies Bid to Avoid House Debate on Charges,” by Philip Shabecoff. http://nyti.ms/XnxVFX

DAVID PLOUFFE headlines PLAYBOOK LUNCH on Monday -- noon at the Capital Hilton. Plouffe, now a Bloomberg contributor and strategic adviser, managed President Obama's 2008 campaign, then was senior adviser in the White House during the reelection. Plouffe, author of “The Audacity to Win,” will go behind the scenes of next week's U.S.-Africa Business Forum, the largest-ever gathering of African heads of state on U.S. soil; discuss Obama's remaining policy goals and options; and give an inside take on the midterms and 2016. Outside cameras and correspondents welcome. RSVP here. http://bit.ly/1uEIF1q

**From the National Retail Federation: Meet America’s Retail Champion Teresa Miller. As founder of Treats Unleashed, a St. Louis-based pet specialty store, Teresa knows what it means to be a community retailer. 29-sec. videohttp://bit.ly/MeetTeresa #thisisretail **

BACK TO HARVARD: Today is the last day at HHS for Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Howard Koh. For the last five years, Dr. Koh has served as the senior public health adviser to the Secretary and overseen 12 core public health offices, including the Surgeon General. Before heading back to Harvard to be a Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Dr. Koh fires a parting shot at big tobacco, declaring in an op-ed that with 1,300 Americans dying each day from tobacco use, the fight against smoking is far from over. http://huff.to/1ogzOJX

BIG ANNIVERSARY: Bruce Josten, executive vice president for Government Affairs, is celebrating his 40th at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, where he started on Aug. 1, 1974. Per the Chamber: “He started as a Chamber telemarketer in New York and about 10 years later was tasked with running the sales force. 10 years after that, he was put in charge of policy and congressional affairs, in addition to the sales force. Three years later, Tom Donohue became Chamber President & CEO, where he promoted Bruce to executive vice president with sole focus on Government Affairs.”

ABOUT LAST NIGHT – The 12 college students picked to participate in the inaugural Politico Journalism Institute introduced themselves at a reception at American University and met Politico journalists and other faculty who will be a part of their program. SPOTTED: Bill Nichols, Danielle Jones, Rick Berke, Nahal “Halley” Toosi, Sonya Ross, Liz Breckenridge, Katy Bachman, Tal Kopan, Bob Hillman, Maynard Institute’s Evelyn Hsu. See a photo of the students: http://bit.ly/1nQU61r

WORTH THE CLICK – “Here Is The Richest Person In Each State,” via HuffPost and real estate blog Movoto: http://huff.to/XmZfEc

DRIVING THE DAY -- “House GOP in disarray: Border fight delays recess,” by Jake Sherman and Seung Min Kim: “After a chaotic afternoon, which saw the GOP leadership suddenly pull their [border security] legislation from the House floor because of flagging support, lawmakers planned a Friday morning meeting at 9 a.m. to try to plot a path forward. Plans are in flux, and subject to change at any minute, aides and lawmakers warned. … In a Thursday afternoon meeting, Speaker John Boehner, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) heard from a number of Republicans who did not want to leave Washington until a package passed the House … [T]he House schedule was in such flux that members walked off the floor [Thursday] canceling and rebooking flights to go home.” http://politi.co/1m4R6tC

--Eric Cantor op-ed in Richmond Times-Dispatch: “Serving Virginians has been my highest honor": “It has been the highest honor of my professional life to serve the people of Virginia’s 7th District in Congress. That is why it is with tremendous gratitude and a heavy heart that I have decided to resign from Congress, effective Aug. 18 … I have asked Governor McAuliffe to hold a special election on Election Day, at no additional cost to taxpayers, so my successor can be sworn in immediately in November.” http://bit.ly/1saZy05

CANTOR GOING-AWAYS: Cantor communications director Rory Cooper emails friends/colleagues with the subject line “one last email with a weird subject line so you open it”. In the part of the email marked “On record”: he writes: “‘I have nothing to announce at this time.’ (For those asking me what’s next, this applies, standby for news at a later date)”.

--Cantor deputy press secretary Genevieve Villari emails: “Today is my last day in Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s office, and it is also my last day in Washington, D.C. After six amazing years, four incredibly rewarding jobs, and friendships that will last a lifetime, I am moving to Columbia, South Carolina. Before I leave tomorrow, I want to thank each of you for making my time in Washington so special. I have learned so much from each of you. Since arriving on Capitol Hill in 2008, I have grown both personally and professionally because of your insights, guidance, and friendship. Thank you – I am forever grateful.”

WHAT THE WEST WING IS READING -- L.A. Times 2-col. lead, “Obamacare rates to rise a modest 4.2%: Covered California’s small increase for 2015 follows double-digit hikes industrywide in years past,” by Stuart Pfeifer, Chad Terhune and Soumya Karlamangla: “Defying an industry trend of double-digit rate hikes, California officials said the more than 1.2 million consumers in the state-run Obamacare insurance exchange can expect modest price increases of 4.2% on average next year.” http://lat.ms/1og9Hmg

STEPHEN BRILL in TIME, “How Kentucky Got Obamacare Right”: " In Kentucky—one of the reddest of red states, where Obama lost to Mitt Romney 60% to 38% in 2012 and would surely lose by more today — Obamacare is a winner. Only it’s not known as Obamacare. It’s called Kynect, the name Beshear smartly gave it in the run-up to the launch…. More important, Beshear’s basic sales pitch was better because, unlike Obama, the Kentucky governor was unafraid to highlight what Obamacare really is: a massive new government income-redistribution program providing health insurance.” http://ti.me/1nYqhNr

AMAZING EXCHANGES IN KATIE COURIC interview with Ruth Bader Ginsburg – “COURIC: What are you thinking in terms of your retirement? GINSBURG: Because I didn’t step down last year, there’s not much talk about it this year. People know that I’m here to stay and my answer is I will do this job as long as I can do it full-steam. When I feel myself slipping, when I can no longer think as sharply, write as quickly, that will be the time for me to leave the court. COURIC: Having said that, should the political climate and consideration of your replacement, be factors in your decisions? GINSBURG: All I can say is I’m still here and likely to remain for awhile.” http://yhoo.it/1sa76QS … http://yhoo.it/WQLWvU

MEDIA WATCH -- Sara Just to be exec producer of PBS News Hour – ABC News president James Goldston emails the staff: “Team … After over 25 years at ABC News, Sara is leaving for an outstanding opportunity to become Executive Producer of the PBS News Hour and Senior Vice President at WETA, the public television station in Washington, DC. An exceptional leader and dedicated producer, she has led the charge over the past year as our deputy Washington bureau chief and has worked on nearly every program and platform during her many years at ABC. Sara spent nearly two decades at Nightline, working closely with Ted Koppel and covering a wide range of news stories, from 9/11 to Hurricane Katrina to the OJ Simpson trial. Her outstanding work was recognized with nine Emmys, two duPonts, two Peabodys and an RFK Journalism award.”

**From the National Retail Federation: We set out on a road trip to find the most powerful retail stories across the U.S. These stories show how retailers, large and small, are creating jobs, driving innovation and giving back to the communities they serve. This is Retail Across America. nrf.com/retailacrossamerica #thisisretail Follow us on Instagram at @this_is_retail. **